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'Game of Thrones' ends; Westeros has a new ruler

By Karen Butler
"Game of Thrones" ended Sunday night after eight seasons. File Photo by Christine Chew/UPI
"Game of Thrones" ended Sunday night after eight seasons. File Photo by Christine Chew/UPI | License Photo

May 19 (UPI) -- Game of Thrones ended its eight-season run Sunday, with more bloodshed and an unexpected character crowned the new ruler of Westeros.

Spoilers ahead.

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The finale began with a triumphant Queen Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) praising the warriors who helped her crush the city of King's Landing and inch closer to her ultimate goal -- the Iron Throne, which would allow her to rule the Seven Kingdoms on the continent of Westeros.

Her adviser Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) tearfully dug through the rubble of the Red Keep and found the bodies of his siblings Cersei and Jaime (Lena Headey and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau.)

Shortly after that, Dany sentenced Tyrion to death for treason for helping his formerly imprisoned brother escape in an unsuccessful attempt to rescue their sister.

Jon Snow (Kit Harington) pleaded with Dany to show mercy to Tyrion and the survivors in King's Landing, but she refused, steadfast in her belief that her way of ruling was the only way.

Jon then pledged his love for his queen, lover and aunt, but fatally stabbed her as she stood in front of the Iron Throne.

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She died quickly and her dragon arrived, picked up her body, melted the throne and flew away.

Dany's followers took Jon and Tyrion prisoner, but Tyrion pleaded their cases before a council that includes Jon's siblings Sansa (Sophie Turner,) Arya (Maisie Williams) and Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright,) as well as Edmure Tully (Tobias Menzies,) Ser Davos (Liam Cunningham,) Samwell Tarley (John Bradley,) Brienne (Gwendoline Christie,) Gendry (Joe Dempsie,) Yara Greyjoy (Gemma Whelan) and other important members of the ruling class.

Tyrion suggested the council elect a monarch, not allow one to ascend according to lineage.

He nominated Bran, Bran agreed to take the crown, the council approved him and Sansa declared her kingdom in the north would be independent.

Tyrion agreed to be Bran's adviser and Jon was sent back to his old stomping grounds with the Night's Watch.

Arya told her family she wanted to explore new territories where the maps end.

The show ended with Tyrion, Brienne, Davos, Samwell and Bronn (Jerome Flynn) planning to reconstruct the war-torn nation, while Arya boarded a ship to parts unknown, Jon is reunited with his direwolf Ghost and his old friend Tormund (Kristofer Hivju,) and Sansa is crowned Queen of the North.

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